Conventional imager-based optical code data readers (or simply, data readers) do not differentiate which image frame(s), among a sequence of image frames, should be obtained or otherwise preserved in frame buffer memory. In other words, the conventional data readers do not attempt to prioritize certain image frames over others and instead treat each image frame (also called an image or a frame) equally. This has the effect of allocating resources—such as, for example, decoder processor dwelling time, frame buffer memory utilization, and frame rate—equally for each image frame obtained throughout a sweep of an object, i.e., an item of merchandise, through a read zone of the data reader.